To close with a high note I want to share with you one of our favorite activities to do with kids in Paris. During the summer months Paris dresses itself with summer attire and offers tourists and authentic Parisians a little taste of the beach. From music festivals to DJ soirees and activities at the public piscines there’s something for everyone, whether you are one or one hundred. As tourists we didn’t have much time to devote to the public pools and the boys weren’t into the music scene that much but time to build a sandcastle is always a priority on a toddler’s to do list and Paris Plage was there to respond to Evan’s never-ending craving for dirt and anything messy.

Paris Plage is an artificial beach set by the Seine complete with beach chairs, sand toys, ice-cream vendors and lots of street performers. What could be more perfect than that? This project has taken place for about ten years now and the government has done a great job ameliorating it every year. I remember I saw it for the first time in 2005 when I was there for the summer and now 7 years later I was able to enjoy it with kids. There are maps and information booths all around it and there is a calendar of events available online.

There are several sections of the plage and the main one extends from the Louvre to Pont de Sully. These area encompasses the main tourist sections so you can actually “walk on the beach” on you way to the museums, Notre Dame, etc. They actually have changing rooms, proper bathrooms, and a lot of areas to wash off the sand from your feet and toys.

Dump Truck Time

We were thrilled to find an area with hundreds of sand toys. Although I had already learned a lesson in Frankfurt that bringing a couple of sand toys in the stroller is not only appropriate but necessary if you want to avoid toddler-quarrels of the sandbox kind. I was very happy to see that the quantity of toys available superseded the amount of kids wanting to play. So we sat down on the sand and let the boys experience it’s grainy texture once again. If you remember the first time Josh touched sand he hated it, but this time he actually enjoyed it and started playing with it as we tried to keep him from eating it.

Joshua liked the sand!

Cheeky Baby

I just want to bite those little toes

Evan was as delighted by the toys as I was by the views. It felt like Paris but also felt like a short vacation at the French Riviera. A big attraction for Evan was looking at the tourist boats pass by. We got to see police boats doing some practice stunts. Evan was really excited to see them.

I had the best view…. Ohh and Paris is beautiful, too.

One of the few pictures of mommy

Teenagers, older couples, and a bunch of kids enjoyed sitting by the Seine and reading a book, chatting with friends, flirting, and just relaxing. If you are visiting Paris towards the end of July or during August you should really check it out. It will be the perfect escape from the city, a fun experience for the kids and a nice way to see Paris from the canals.

About Me

Hi, I'm Ana Gaby. A nomad by nature and by trade. I'm an expat currently living in the USA with my husband and my two very active boys. I am Mexican by birth and soul, American by heart and passport. After living in South East Asia for over 5 years we moved back to the US to begin a new adventure as a family. Join us in our adventure as we explore the US, re-learn to go grocery shopping without being overwhelmed, raise Bilingual Third Culture Kids and take our children along for the ride of a lifetime.